A Murder Mystery, a Ghost Story, and a Dangerous Romance all combine to
make Blood on the Chesapeake a Suspense Thriller That You Just Cannot Put
Down.
Wilshire, Maryland seems like the perfect shore town on the Chesapeake
Bay—quiet, scenic, charming—and promises Darrell Henshaw a new
start in life and a second chance at love. That is, until he learns the town
hides an ugly secret. A thirty-year-old murder in the high school. And a
frightening ghost stalking his new office. Burned by an earlier encounter
with the spirit world—with the OCD scars to prove it—he does NOT
want to get involved. But when the desperate ghost hounds him, Darrell
concedes. Assisted by his new love, he follows a trail that leads to
the civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and even the Klu Klux
Klan. Then, when two locals who try to help are murdered, Darrell is forced
to decide if he’s willing to risk his life—and the life of the
woman he loves—to expose the killers of a young man he never
knew.
Second Book in The Haunted Shores Mysteries Just Released!!!
Crimson at Cape May
The Haunted Shores Mysteries, Book 2
Release Date: July 20, 2020
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
No matter how far you run, you can never really escape a haunted
past.
Darrell Henshaw—teacher, coach, and paranormal
sensitive—learned this lesson the hard way. Now, with his job gone and
few options, he heads for Cape May to coach a summer football camp. The
resort town, with gorgeous beaches, rich history and famous Victorian
mansions, might just be the getaway he needs. Only, no one told him Cape May
is the most haunted seaport on the East Coast.
When a resident ghost, the Haunted Bride, stalks Darrell, begging for his
help, he can't refuse, and joins forces with Cassie, another sensitive. As
Darrell and the street-wise teen investigate the bride's death, they uncover
something far more sinister than a murder. Can Darrell and Cassie expose
those behind the crimes before they end up becoming the next victims?
Dr. Randy Overbeck is a veteran educator who has served children for more
than three decades as a teacher and school leader, winning national
recognition for his work. Over that time, he has performed many of the roles
depicted in his fiction, with responsibilities ranging from coach and
yearbook advisor to principal and superintendent. An accomplished writer, he
has been published in academia, the popular press and, more recently, in
better bookstores. His first novel, Leave No Child Behind, won the 2011
Silver Award for Thriller of the Year from ReadersFavorite.com. His second
novel, Blood on the Chesapeake, a ghost story/mystery released this year by
the Wild Rose Press, has earned 5 STAR REVIEWS from RaeadersFavorite.com,
Long and Short Reviews, Literary Titan and Chanticleer Book Reviews. It also
garnered national awards, the GOLD AWARD from Literary Titan and Honorable
Mention from Readers View. Blood is the first in a new series called the
“Haunted Shores Mysteries.” Dr. Overbeck is a member of the
Mystery Writers of America and an active member of the literary
community.
I pushed past the fruit and steered to the meat counter. It
was damn hard to eat the amount of protein recommended, according to my
doctor’s meal sheet. I sighed as I waited for the butcher to come over, so I
could order some sausages, but the smell of the raw fish at the far end of the
display hit me hard. I gagged before I could even talk myself down.
Oh shit. Where was the bathroom in this place? I spun in a circle, wondering if
it was up front by customer service or here in the back, but that only made
things worse.
Abandoning my cart, I whirled away from the counter and ran smack into a wall
of… tall, hard man.
Big hands wrapped around my elbows. “Hey,” a deep, all-too-familiar voice
rumbled. “Becky… hey. Wow. Um… hi. Uh, you all right?”
I craned my neck to look up and… into Clint’s handsome face. My eyes widened in
surprise and panic. His nostrils flared as he drew a deep breath, and for a
moment, his startled eyes seemed to change from green to grey. I quickly
dropped my analysis of the color of his irises because the act of moving my
head too fast brought on another wave of nausea.
“Jesus, you look green,” he commented.
For a third time in five minutes, no shit, Sherlock.
I stepped to the left to get around him, but he followed. I shifted to the
right as if I were a football tight end trying to get past an opposing
linebacker.
“Hey,” he said at the same time as I told him to move.
He didn’t, and that was it for me. I doubled over, heaving, and—God help
me—puked a little on Clint’s work boots.
“Oh my God,” I croaked, keeping my head down as I shoved my hand in my purse
for a tissue. “Oh God, this is so embarrassing.”
I hadn’t seen Clint in four months, and now I threw up on him. Because of his
baby being all sadistic and torturing me from the inside out.
USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR RENEE ROSE loves a dominant,
dirty-talking alpha hero! She's sold over a half million copies of steamy
romance with varying levels of kink. Her books have been featured in USA
Today's Happily Ever After and Popsugar. Named Eroticon USA's Next Top Erotic
Author in 2013, she has also won Spunky and Sassy's Favorite Sci-Fi and
Anthology author, The Romance Reviews Best Historical Romance, and Spanking
Romance Reviews' Best Sci-fi, Paranormal, Historical, Erotic, Ageplay and favorite
couple and author. She's hit the USA Today list five times with various
anthologies.
Vanessa Vale is the USA Today bestselling author of sexy
romance novels, including her popular Bridgewater historical romance series and
hot contemporary romances. With over one million books sold, Vanessa writes
about unapologetic bad boys who don’t just fall in love, they fall hard. Her
books are available worldwide in multiple languages in e-book, print, audio and
even as an online game. When she’s not writing, Vanessa savors the insanity of
raising two boys and figuring out how many meals she can make with a pressure
cooker. While she’s not as skilled at social media as her kids, she loves to
interact with readers.
Join Us for this Book Series Tour from Jul 7 to Aug 10, 2020!
“A Wrinkle in Time meets The Princess Bride.” - Review by Lee Lee Thompson, The Perpetual You Magazine
“Chute’s novel weaves STAR WARS-like characters with a WONDER-like message to form an enrapturing read for booklovers of all ages.” - US Review of Books
“Fast and bizarre… Never a dull moment.“ - Foreward Reviews
SERIES DETAILS:
Series Title: The 8th Island Trilogy by Alexis Marie Chute
Category: Young AdultFiction (13 to 17 yrs) (368 to 448 pages)
Genre: fantasy, adventure, coming of age, ya, adult
Publisher: SparkPress.
Release dates: Jun 2018; Oct 2019; Apr 2020
Content Rating: PG: Battle scenes and death depicted.
Series Description:
The 8th Island Trilogy includes Above the Star, Below the Moon, and Inside the Sun.
Over the three books, we follow the adventures of a quirky family, the
Wellsleys. The main characters are frumpy senior citizen Archie, his
daughter-in-law, Tessa, and his ill fourteen-year-old granddaughter
Ella.
Archie, searching for his missing son, accidentally transports his
family—and a cruise ship full of people—to a magical planet. There, they
uncover the truth: all worlds are dying. Yet hope is not lost. A way to
restore all that will soon be destroyed is revealed, along with the
realization that Ella will play a role no one could have
imagined—especially not her.
On the mysterious island of Jarr-Wya, many races of
creatures battle for dominion and magic lurks around every corner. When
the world falls dark, that is when bravery must shine the brightest, and
the Wellsleys will reveal the strength they never knew they
possessed—as well as the power of love to save the day.
Books in the 8th Island Trilogy:
Book Details:
Book Title: Above the Star by Alexis Marie Chute
Category: Young AdultFiction (13 to 17 yrs), 368 pages
Genre: fantasy, adventure, coming of age, ya, adult
Publisher: SparkPress.
Release dates: Jun 2018
Content Rating: PG: Battle scenes and death depicted.
Book Description:
When frumpy senior citizen Archie goes in search of his missing son in
the Spanish Canary Islands, he stumbles upon a higher mission: locating a
magical cure for his ailing fourteen-year-old granddaughter, Ella.
Using a portal-jumping device called the Tillastrion, Archie and a
stone-headed creature named Zeno are transported to Jarr-Wya, a
magnificent yet terrifying island in a connected realm―along with Ella
and her strong-willed mother, Tessa, who accidentally stow away on this
not-so-secret quest.
What they find on Jarr-Wya is an island tortured by a wicked Star
anchored in the sea, and a raging three-way battle for dominion between
the stone-wielding Bangols, the fiery Olearons, and the evil Millia
sands. Ella’s wit and resourcefulness emerge in this new world, while
Tessa is forced to confront her long-buried secrets and a confusing new
love triangle. When Ella is captured, Tessa and Archie―with the help of a
company of peculiar allies―set out to save her and unravel the terrible
mystery of her cure. A mesmerizing, stay-up-all-night adventure of
three unlikely heroes, Above the Star reminds us that even the smallest
act of bravery can transform our lives and the fates of the worlds
around us.
Category: Young AdultFiction (13 to 17 yrs), 448 pages
Genre: fantasy, adventure, coming of age, ya, adult
Publisher: SparkPress.
Release dates: Oct 2019
Content Rating: PG: Battle scenes and death depicted.
Book Description:
Ella Wellsley is not your typical teenager. Cancer left her mute, but
not powerless. Trapped in a parallel dimension, Ella rallies her
strength to join her family―her mother, Tessa, her grandpa Archie, and
her magical boyfriend―in locating the cure to her illness. This cure is
entangled in the fate of all worlds, and threatened by the presence of
an evil Star anchored in the sea. The Star has thrown life everywhere
into chaos―and it is Ella who holds the key to unlocking its mystery.
Caught in a web of betrayal, mistaken identities, secrets, and love
triangles, Ella, Tessa, and Archie must overcome their troubled pasts to
ensure a future for all worlds. On this journey―armed with unearthly
abilities and unexpected allies―each member of the Wellsley family will
learn the power of love in the face of their greatest fears.
Category: Young AdultFiction (13 to 17 yrs), 384 pages
Genre: fantasy, adventure, coming of age, ya, adult
Publisher: SparkPress.
Release dates: April 2020
Content Rating: PG: Battle scenes and death depicted.
Book Description:
All worlds are dying, and it’s up to one broken and dysfunctional family from Earth―the Wellsleys―to save the day.
Cancer-ridden Ella celebrates her fifteenth birthday beneath an
enchanted mountain, but it is what lies even farther below―the
mysterious Star in the sea―that demands she grow up quickly. While Ella
grapples with the sacrifice she must make and the lies she is forced to
tell, her mother, Tessa, is hell-bent on protecting her.
Through bizarre encounters, love-sick Tessa realizes that she is not the
lonely orphan she believes. Her husband, Arden, and father-in-law,
Archie, are not the only ones with magical bloodlines. This revelation
changes everything. As Archie chooses to embody his unexpected ancestry,
he learns that leading the charge in the ultimate battle against evil
won’t be as easy as he thought. He’ll need his family―and the strange
allies he has gained―by his side to give Ella enough time to set things
right.
Can they defeat the unstoppable Millia sands―and another unexpected
foe―before everything they hold dear is destroyed? Or will their
adventure tear them apart for good? The finale to The 8th Island Trilogy
will hold you spellbound until the final page, and long after.
Alexis Marie Chute is an award-winning author, artist,
photographer, art curator, filmmaker, and public speaker. She has
received over 40 noteworthy distinctions for her visual and literary
work. Her award-winning fantasy series The 8th Island Trilogy includes,
Above the Star, Below the Moon, and Inside the Sun. The series has been
described as “A WRINKLE IN TIME meets THE PRINCESS BRIDE” by The
Perpetual You magazine, and “Fast and bizarre… never a dull moment” by
Forward Reviews. The 8th Island Trilogy “weaves STAR WARS-like
characters with a WONDER-like message to form an enrapturing read for
blooklovers of all ages” – US Review of Books. Chute’s bestselling
memoir, Expecting Sunshine: A Journey of Grief, Healing and Pregnancy
After Loss, was a top Kirkus title of 2017 and received a plethora of
other literary distinctions. The memoir was accompanied by the feature
documentary of the same name, which has screened internationally for the
last three years. Chute received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art and
Design from the University of Alberta, Canada, and studied at Media
Design school in Auckland, New Zealand. She graduated valedictorian with
her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Lesley University in
Cambridge, MA, USA. Chute is a highly regarded public speaker. She has
presented on art, writing, bereavement, and the healing capacities of
creativity around the world. Contact the Author/Artist for bookings
info@alexismariechute.com When not in her art/photo studio or at her
computer, Chute loves to spend quality time with her family, read
fiction and non-fiction, watch reality TV, paddleboard, and canoe. She
is not a winter person but lives in frosty Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
with her husband and their three living children.
Aug 10 –Book Bustle – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
Interview with author-artist-filmmaker Alexis Marie Chute
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
As a child, I always wanted to be an artist and author—exactly what I am doing right now. I also wanted to be an actress and big business woman. I’ve always had many dreams and still think it would be a great challenge to be a lawyer or a firefighter. I don’t subscribe to the idea that we must pick one career and stick with it. Life is more fun with adventure, change and challenge.
Where/When do you best like to write?
Mornings are best for me. When I’m working on a book, I like to write first thing in the morning until 11am or sometimes, with a lot of coffee, till 1pm. Then CRASH (crash = nap). I like to write surrounded by candles and incense. I cannot have distractions or a cluttered desk. My music choice is typically classical, like Vivaldi or Mozart, and nothing with words as I find I begin typing what I am listening to. I like to write at my vintage style black wood desk by the window in my room. My actual work-desk in the office is too distracting. When I am crunching a deadline, I don’t have a “best time” to write; I simply sit down and get it done, no matter if I feel like it or not. I love deadlines as external motivators.
What do you think makes a good story?
A good story has characters that are simultaneously loveable and deplorable. The plot is unexpected and varied. There is a lot at stake, and the risks and rewards are always in flux. I can tell a story is good when it keeps me up at night, lingers long after the last page, and I wish I had thought it up!
What inspired the three main characters in The 8th Island Trilogy (Archie, Tessa, Ella)?
I was inspired to create the Wellsleys—Archibald, Tessa, and Ella Wellsley—based on real families. They have interesting relationships with each other, some good, like Ella and Grandpa Archie, and some more tense and complicated, like Tessa and her estranged husband Arden. I created characters with flaws, but also redeeming characteristics. In Ella, Tessa, and Grandpa Archie, my goal is for readers to relate, to see themselves, as well as have protagonists they can root for.
How does a new story idea come to you? Is it an event that sparks the plot or a character speaking to you?
I get new ideas all the time. From everywhere. From everyone. A new lightbulb is constantly illuminated above my head. My struggle is not finding ideas, but choosing which ideas are worth my attention and which ideas should be the focus for right now. Typically, however, plot precedes character for me in the developmental stage, but character always shines in the end.
Do you always know what the ending of your books will be when you start writing?
When I began writing book one, Above the Star, I had no idea what the ending of the trilogy was going to be—not even after I began writing book two, Below the Moon. I had to pause writing at that point to outline and plot right to the end so I could make sure all the storylines resolved and surprise the reader.
It was a fun experience to outline—I’m typically a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of writer—although I always leave room for the magic of creativity while writing. I even surprise myself. For example, I cried when writing the end of Below the Moon. At the end of Inside the Sun I shed no tears but felt a strange sense of completion and satisfaction. It was eerie and beautiful, surprising and addictive all at once.
Is there a message/theme in your novels that you want readers to grasp?
The resiliency of the human spirit is what percolates up in most of my work. It’s the dogged determinedness that I see in so many people, no matter the hardships they face. They inspire me, and because of them, I want my work to inspire others.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Not in winter—I hate snow—but typically I love being outdoors! My favorite activities are paddle boarding, canoeing, hiking, trail running, and sitting in a hot tub outside and talking for hours with friends and family.
Also, aside from my writing, I am a visual artist, curator, filmmaker, and public speaker. So those things, plus family time, keep me super busy. I do, however, always make time for the important people in my life. I LOVE getting together with friends and playing games… you might say I’m a game addict; Mario Cart, Ticket to Ride, Hand and Foot, Uno, Cards Against Humanity, puzzles, escape rooms… You get the idea.
What’s the best writing advice you have ever received?
I have a friend who is an amazing illustrator. His name is Kelly Mellings. We weren’t talking about writing specifically, but about working in creative fields. Kelly gave the absolute best advice that I have applied to every area of my life—personal and professional. He told me he always does things before he’s ready—and I took that lesson to heart.
I was not ready to write a book, but I learned as I went and got ‘er done!
I was not trained on how to create and produce a documentary film, but I did it anyway. It’s called Expecting Sunshine and is based on my memoir of the same name.
